


The Seasons That I Wait For You

by alionheart (adragonheart)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Autistic Keith (Voltron), Canon-Typical Violence, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Snow Queen AU, Trans Female Pidge | Katie Holt, feedback is very much appreciated!, quest type fic, there will be cats, this is my first Voltron fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 11:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8486839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adragonheart/pseuds/alionheart
Summary: It started with a mirror shattering. A mirror that distorts everything good and beautiful into something horrendous. The mirror then floated around the world, occasionally ending up in the possession of someone, distorting their own view on the world.Far away from the mirror, lies a small town by the sea, where childhood friends Keith and Lance grew up and live. But one day, Keith suddenly abandons Lance, accusing him of being too weak. Keith goes missing, and Lance will stop at nothing to find the friend he knew that couldn't be gone, not even this eternal winter that froze the land.





	1. Prologue: The People In the Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first klance fic, based on "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen! Hope you enjoy it!

The hallway echoed with the footsteps of a single person moving quietly through, filling the dark space and high arches that pointed towards the sky. The interior was dimly lit with purple lights, and no sound filled the expanse that stretched from the rest of the castle to the witch’s quarters and laboratory.

Prorock frowned, annoyed at having to be the one to escort the witch from the castle to other cities to do her experiments. But it couldn’t be helped; Zarkon had assigned him to do so, and he had to carry out his duty, no matter how much he detested Haggar.

He raised his fist to knock on the door, but it was open before his hand came in contact. Haggar stood in front of him, with a slight smirk on her face.

“Welcome, Prorock.” Her sibilant voice hissed. “I knew you would be coming.” She then glided around, deeper into her quarters. She did not say so, but her body language told Prorock to follow. He allowed himself a quiet growl of annoyance; typical Haggar, always trying to be superior to him.

Nevertheless, Prorock trodded into the laboratory after her. He glanced around, looking at the neatly labeled shelves on one side, the cages with various creatures that she experimented on, and the table in the middle of the room. 

“What new playthings have you made, witch?” Prorock asked, smirking internally at the slight frown the witch made as he said “plaything”.

“Did Emperor Zarkon not tell you?” She purred, a false sweetness in her voice. Prorock gritted his teeth at the jab. “It’s my latest creation. Come.”

Haggar moved to a corner of the room, and Prorock followed, to see a tall, rectangular, cloth-covered object. Haggar drew the cloth down and what he saw was a mirror. 

He was not very impressed. It seemed to just be a plain mirror, with a frame that was decorated with some vines around the top. It didn’t look like a useful invention for anyone. What was impressive was the sheer size of it, stretching twice of Haggar’s height and wide, the huge expanse of glass shining and sparkling in the light of the laboratory. 

“A mirror?” Prorock scoffed. “I think you’re getting past your prime, Haggar, making inventions that were already invented before.”

“Prorock, you wound me so.” Haggar smirked, not sounding hurt at all. “It’s not the mirror that’s special; it’s what the mirror does.”

“Oh?” Prorock lifted an eyebrow skeptically. “And what does it do?”

“Let me show you.” Haggar said. Waving her hands as a magenta energy swirled about, she conjured up a scenery opposite of the mirror. Prorock observed the illusion, it being a pretty green meadow dotted with flowers, the sky blue and cloudless. He was about to open his mouth and speak of his confusion, but Haggar waved to him to stand by her.

“Look in the mirror.” She said, pointing at the image inside the reflection. Prorock shrugged, and took a peek inside.

He gasped, because the image in the mirror was nothing like what was in the illusion Haggar conjured up. The sky was no longer blue, but a dark grey with heavy clouds. No longer did flowers bloom on the field, but wilted to their stems, petals fallen. The green hill that once stood was now no more than a cracked, dried, earthen mound.

“This mirror distorts everything that it’s seen in it.” Haggar explained. “Everything you think is good and beautiful will turn ugly and wilting, and all the weaknesses of a person or thing will be exposed. For once, you can see things as they truly are.”

She stroked the edge. “The clearest skies eventually give way to the dark. Flowers will wilt, and time is merciless to all of us. This is the weakness we can see.”

“And what advantage will this give us?” Prorock questioned. “Why would we want to look at it then?”

“Oh, it’s not for us.” Haggar grinned, her lips stretching into a horrible parody of a smile, and shivers ran up Prorock’s back. “This is a...present….for the Alteans.”

“Alteans?” Prorock said. “You mean to--” 

“Give this to them, yes.” Haggar affirmed. “This way, all that they think is good, their peace, their kindness will be distorted into weakness, and what they think is bad, war and violence, will rise in them whenever they look at this mirror. We will destroy them this way.”

“But this is just one mirror.” Prorock said. “How do you expect this to enter the hearts of all Alteans?”

“That’s why you’re here, Prorock.” Haggar said. “We’re taking this mirror to the capital, and I’ll explain the rest along the way.”

\---------------------------------------------

They lifted off on their airship, the mirror carefully stored in the cargo bay. Haggar had been there ever since they lifted off, but Prorock made no move to look at the mirror. Despite it being a novel invention, it still unnerved Prorock. If it was used against the Galra, would it turn them into pacified little rabbits like the alteans? Or worse?

And maybe a little part of Prorock didn’t want to see what he looked like in the mirror. What his own weaknesses were. He shivered, despite the warm sun through the windows. He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts.

Then, the shaking began.

He didn’t even have to contact Haggar to know that the violent shaking was coming from the cargo bay, and he ran towards it. He was expecting intruders and enemies, but what he did not expect was that it was the mirror, shaking violently. It creaked in its bonds that secured it to the ship, and the noise it made was eerily like a laugh that sent ice down Prorock’s spine.

“What’s going on?” He demanded, looking at Haggar.

“I do not know.” Haggar hissed. “I have never seen it doing this before. How close are we to Altea?”

“Very close, why--” Prorock was cut off at the loud groan of the mirror that was shaking the aircraft. The ship pitched forward and backward, and the mirror still did not cease its groaning.

The cargo bay only shook more and more, and at this point, the ship would be destroyed before they could get anywhere. Prorock cut the bonds on the mirror, and before he could open the cargo bay doors, the mirror shattered. The only thing that protected him from certain death was the barrier Haggar had erected with her magic, and the burst of the shattering mirror blew open the cargo doors, and both of them could only watch as the shards of glass scatter across the wind.

“Now what?” Prorock hissed, staring accusingly at Haggar. Strangely, Haggar only seemed to smile. 

“This can be an unexpected boon for us.” She said. “That glass will get around everywhere. They may build windows out of it, make glasses...or it might even be stuck in someone’s eye.”

“And...what will that do?” Prorock asked.

Haggar smirked. “Make them always see the horror of things.” Prorock’s face also slipped into a smile, as he realized how spread out the mirror’s power was going to be.

They stood there, watching the shards rain down upon all of Altea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned before, this is an AU of the Snow Queen, which starts off with a goblin/demon/the devil himself (the translations differ) making the mirror that distorted everything good. The demons have a great time, and decide to bring it to the heavens to mock the angels as well. This I tried to parallel, but hopefully with less religious connotations.
> 
> There's not too much mention of technology here, but it's meant to be something like the 1800's in this story, but more steampunk! I wanted a setting that was still appropriate enough for a fantasy AU but also technologically advanced for me to use elements of steampunk. So rather than the galactic empires in canon, everything is just empires...on the ground.
> 
> Also what was Haggar planning to tell Prorock? I don't know. I had to write something to make it seems like she had a goal but I actually have no idea what to do with it. Maybe she was planning to give it as a gift to the Alteans.
> 
> This is the prologue, so the real story hasn't begun yet! Stay tuned for more, kids!
> 
> Feedback is greatly appreciated! You can also find me on tumblr at cleyra.tumblr.com, or my voltron sideblog at holtmatthew.tumblr.com


	2. what we shared was surely warm enough to know you cared for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith reminisces on the childhood he spent with Lance, and the fondest memories he had with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story begins now! You might wonder how I already have this up too. I wrote the Prologue and actual first chapter at the same time because it wouldn't be fair to only have a prologue and no real chapter. This is pretty long because it gives you alllll the background knowedge, but I doubt many of you will complain. This is where the fluff starts...and ends...
> 
> Enjoy!

Far from the heart of the Galran empire, there was a small town at the edge of Altea, bordered by the sea. The houses were not big, nor was it the richest city, but the people there were happy and joyful, their homes cozy and welcoming. 

Here was the home that Keith shared with his grandmother, and next door lived a boy his age, by the name of Lance. They were good friends, doing everything together, so much so that they connected their rooms with a wooden plank, so they could easily slip to and from their own rooms to the other’s with the most ease they could have. They both had happy memories.

Keith’s memories of them growing up was filled with warmth.   
\---------------

He first moved into the town to stay with his grandmother after his parents passed away. He didn’t cry, he didn’t say anything. He was just angry that they left him in this world alone, and that their faces became nothing but a blur in the back of his mind.

While the other children flocked around the streets, playing with their peers, Keith never did. He’d sit in the dark space between houses, clinging onto his toy airship, the most recent gift his parents had given him, and played alone. He was the lone pilot to his airship, travelling to faraway lands and stars, to another one where his parents were still alive.

The other neighbours’ kids thought he was weird, and stayed clear away from his dark gaze and haunted face. Keith knew he was scaring the other kids away with his hostile demeanour, but he really didn’t want to be with anyone. He was fine alone; this was all he needed, because alone is how anyone would spend their lives in the end anyways.

But one day, as he roamed around the house, playing with his airship, he suddenly noticed a shadow passing over him. He saw three boys, all taller, bigger than him, with horrible smiles and eyed him like a hawk staring at a wounded rabbit.

“What you got there, kid?” One of the boys said; he was missing a tooth in the top row of his teeth.

“An airship.” Keith replied simply, and tried to walk away from them.

“Whoa, kid.” Another boy said, with hair as red as a carrot. “Hold up a moment.”

“Yeah, let us see the goods!” The last one snickered, who had a black eye, reaching out towards Keith’s toy.

“No.” Keith hissed firmly. “Go away!”

“Oh, sharing is caring!” Carrot head laughed. “Now hand it over.”

“No, it’s mine!” Keith yelled, clinging his airship closer to him.

“Well, we tried asking nicely, didn’t we, boys?” Gap tooth said as his lips curled into an ugly smile, the two other boys also nodding along with him. 

They moved closer to Keith, hands outstretched, and Keith whimpered, as he was getting caged in.

“HEY YOU STUPID TURNIPS!” Someone screeched. “THREE AGAINST ONE ISN’T FAIR.”

Without much of a warning, a blaze of blue slammed into Gap Tooth, and the Carrot Head and Black Eye moved out of the way in surprise. Keith’s eyes stretched open, taking in the sight of the newcomer.

It was another boy that looked about his age. He was small, even smaller than Keith. He was built awkward and gangling, all knobby knees and skinny limbs. But yet, there was a light in his eyes that were determined, and even though tanned skin stretched tightly over his small frame, his posture exuded confidence.

“Why don’t you take us both on, huh?” The boy said, stepping protectively in front of Keith.

“You? Look at you, Lance.” Gap Toothed laughed. “A breeze could knock you over!”

“I could still knock YOU over, you dummy!” Lance retorted, anger setting into his sharp features. But then, his mouth stretched into a cat-like grin. “Besides, I heard your mama already threatened to give away one of your dogs if you keep on getting into fights. Do ya really want that? Especially if I run straight to my mama after this and tell her who beat me up, you’ll have to deal with your own mother and mine, and my mama will be much scarier than yours.”

Gap Toothed blanched, backing away. “Never mind,” he growled. “I don’t even like stupid airships anyways. Let’s go.” He turned tail and fled, his friends not too far behind him.

The boy grinned, and turned to face Keith fully. Keith was surprised; the shining grin was only matched by the energy that gleamed in his ocean blue eyes. He hadn’t expected a random boy to defend him, much less find joy in it.

“Glad those guys are gone!” The boy grinned. “Oh! You’re the new kid! I’m Lance!"

Lance stuck out his hand towards Keith, but Keith just stared at it. Why did he want to shake hands? They only just met. Keith met Lance’s eyes, just enough to see the infinitesimal dimming of his bright expression, but he immediately just put his hand down and grinned again.

“Not a fan of shaking hands?” He observed. “Doesn’t matter! We all have different comfort zones! What’s your name?”

“...K-Keith.” He stuttered, suddenly feeling shy and flustered at the friendliness he received, unlike the cold shoulder the other kids gave.

“Well, hey Keith!” Lance greeted. “I’m your next door neighbour, and I hope you drop by sometimes! I’d love to be your friend!”

“Really?” Keith asked, eyes stretching wide. “Why?”

Lance tilted his head in confusion. “Do I need a reason to be friends with someone?”

“I….suppose not.” Keith concluded. Then Keith felt his cheeks heat up a little, as the thought of being friends with this friendly boy filled his mind. “Do you want….to play with me?” 

“Of course!” Lance squealed. “I was waiting forever for another kid nearby that was my age, I’m so excited!”

Lance’s enthusiasm was infectious, as Keith felt his lips curving into the beginnings of a smile as well .

“What do you want to do?” Lance screeched as he bounced around in excitement.

“Uh...I don’t actually know.” Keith admitted. “Where...where do you like to go to have fun?”

“OOH BOY YOU ASKED THE RIGHT PERSON, KEITH!” Lance shouted happily, Keith wincing at the sudden noise, but nonetheless he smiled. Lance seemed to have noticed the wincing, since his tone of voice as he continued was much gentler. “There’s a lot of fun things by the ocean. Wanna come?”

Lance offered his hand again, grinning that sunny smile of his, and Keith was grinning too. He looked at the small, soft hand in front of him, and decided to reach out.

He put his hand in Lance’s and never looked back.

\----------------------  
Keith held onto Lance’s hand for years after that. Not literally, but in the sense that they were side by side every moment after that. Keith had learned a lot more about the bright-eyed boy who lived next door to him. Lance was loud, very friendly, and never did anything without the same level of never ending enthusiasm. Despite his loud voice and sometimes insensitive comments, when times would call for it, he was the most understanding, and the gentlest. Lance, who always put a spin on things when Keith couldn’t pick up on what was going on, Lance, who would jump to his defense the second anything bad was said about Keith.

Keith also knew that Lance loved the water. He loved the ocean, the rain, the snow. He’d be the first one to jump into the sea on a warm day, dance in the rain with no umbrella to be seen in sight, and the first one to plop down into the snowfall and make snow angels. Through all the people he’s met, Keith had never found one as contradictory as Lance; the boy with the loud voice but the gentlest crooning when comforting someone, enthusiastic all the time but capable of moping like it was doomsday.

Lance could be like the soft summer rain, giving cool relief when things were tense. But he could be the violent tropical storms that crashed into the shore, rocked the houses, with a terrifying force that could knock the strongest structure down.

It was strange, thought Keith, how he was the opposite of Lance. Most of the time he felt like a raging wildfire that blazed everything in its path, and couldn’t stop. Yet, sometimes he felt like he was no bigger than a candle flame, giving light to the dark, and it was through those softer moments that he realized he and Lance were very much the same, but unique in their own ways.

Lance loved the rain while Keith loved the sun. Lance would be the first one to run into the rain while Keith would hang back, avoiding getting wet at all costs. Lance’s favourite season was summer, Keith’s favourite season was winter.

Despite the fact Keith loved the sun and warmth, his favourite season was still winter. Summer was full of hot days and blazing sun, but that wasn’t the warmth he looked for. He looked for the warmth of family.

He normally felt lonely in the winter, holed up all in his room when it was too cold to go outside. But here, next to the ocean, the winters were not as bitterly cold, nor was he alone. Lance, whenever his family had a celebration or party, Lance would take every single opportunity to invite Keith to share the fun. Lance, who had a big family, had no problem with sharing the love with everyone around him.

And so, Keith found himself constantly stuffed at every dinner, cheeks red and flushed with the laughter as he ran around playing with Lance. He loved the glow of the fireplace, the marshmallows that he roasted with Lance, and the warmth of belonging. Winter meant that no one would want to be outside, but that also meant it only brought everyone closer together to share the warmth, and Keith embraced it wholly.

Winter was the time of evergreens, of throwing garlands around the tree, giving presents to the ones you loved. Every year, Lance made him a present, but Keith wanted to admit that the biggest present that Lance gave was being his friend.

With Lance always inviting him for holidays and events, Keith wanted to do the same for him. So he asked Lance to join him and his grandmother celebrating the new year, to which Lance immediately agreed to.

The new year was also something to be spent with family, but Keith only had his grandmother. And he was resolved: if he couldn’t spend it with his family, he’d spend time with his friends.

So Keith took Lance’s hand, and brought him to his home. The house was decorated throughout with red lanterns, some circular, others in the shape of goldfish. Keith remembered Lance’s eyes widening with wonder as he took in the sight of all the red decorations around. He dragged Lance to the dining table, where they stuffed their faces with piping hot steamed buns and candies.

“This is my favourite part, Lance!” Keith said as he jumped out of his chair as his grandmother was preparing for lighting the fireworks. “This is the fireworks!”

“Woah!” Lance squealed. “That sounds cool! Are they pretty? What are they for? How many are we gonna do? Do you--”

“One question at a time, Lance!” Keith laughed. “They’re very pretty! I think they’re supposed to scare off monsters, and we’re going to set off a lot.”

“AWESOME!” Lance yelled, and Keith grinned in return. “When are we starting?”

“Right now, boys!” Keith’s grandmother replied. “Get your coats out and come to the garden!”

Squeals from the two boys filled the house as they ran around, grabbing their coats and bouncing outside to the garden. True to Keith’s words, there were many fireworks scattered around, of all shapes and sizes. Keith’s grandmother held a sparkler and smiled towards them. 

“Do you want to do the honours, Keith?” She asked, as Keith nodded furiously. He took the sparkler to the nearest fireworks and lit the wick.

Instantaneously, the spark shot up into the sky and exploded in a burst of red and gold, trailing across the blue-black expanse, and faded away. They all stared at the beautiful colours. 

After that Lance tried setting off fireworks too, and the rest were set off by Keith’s grandmother. The fireworks were coming in all shapes, from hearts to random bursts of colour, and Keith stared in wonder as they brightened the night sky. Soon enough, the fun was over, both of the boys shivering with cold, and went back into the house, sitting by the fire with a warm bowl of soup they slurped as Keith’s grandmother was telling stories and singing songs.

When they were all warmed up, Keith’s grandmother sang one of his favourites.

_“On the hill, sits I, gazing,  
Upon the land, misty and blue  
I peer through pastures, a journey  
To my beloved, where I first found you.” ___

__

__“That’s a pretty song.” Lance commented. “I’m not sure I understand everything, though. How about you, Keith?”_ _

__“I’m not totally sure, but it seems like it’s about missing someone.” Keith said. “And you’re going to look for them.” Then his mouth stretched open into a yawn._ _

__“I think it’s time for both you and Lance to go to bed.” Keith’s grandmother chuckled, to which they both agreed. “Keith, can you please show Lance out?”_ _

__Both Lance and Keith rose lethargically, as they pushed themselves to standing. Keith followed Lance, because even though Lance lived next door, he still wanted to make sure he got him safe._ _

__“I had fun today, Keith!” Lance yawned, his words dampened by sleep. But then suddenly he jolted, as if he was shocked. “OH YEAH! I NEED TO GIVE YOU YOUR PRESENT.”_ _

__“Lance...you really don’t need…” Keith started, but Lance just waved him off._ _

__“It’s just a small one!” Lance said, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling something out and pressing it into Keith’s hands. “Good night!”_ _

__Then he ran off home. Keith gave a snort of laughter; typical Lance bouncing away when everything was said and done. He looked at his palm, at the gift Lance had given._ _

__It was a small frame, and inside were pressed and dried red flowers; tulips, carnations, and gladiolus, nestled against leaves of ivy. These were all flowers from Lance’s rooftop garden, and the ones Keith loved the most._ _

__He stroked the frame, warmth spreading through his heart with the thought of Lance carefully snipping and drying these flowers on his own, brow furrowed in concentration and blue eyes intense. It was small, but Keith loved the present._ _

__Lance’s thoughtfulness always made Keith smile._ _

__\-------------------  
The morning when Lance almost fell through a window, Keith had gotten up bright and early…against his will. The birds chirped cheerfully and refused to shut up for anyone trying to get some decent sleep, and then the sun hit him in the face and Keith grudgingly got up as he realized that there was no way he’d fall back asleep. He just went downstairs, poured himself some milk, and grabbed some buns made yesterday. He was in his room, merrily munching away on his breakfast, reading a book...until a noise came from his window._ _

__There was a tapping, and Keith saw Lance’s bright grin filling up the space. Keith wasn’t surprised; they connected their bedroom windows with a plank between their buildings to crawl to each other any time they wanted, and decorated the sides of the windows with flowers; carnations to be exact._ _

__“Lance!” Keith grinned as he opened the window. “What’re we doing today?”_ _

__“Oh, it’s a hot day, so maybe we go by the beach?” He suggested, bouncing a little on the plank. “I was thinking--”_ _

__Suddenly, Lance was thrown off balance, as a crack in the plank sounded through the space between them. He yelped and Keith screamed “Lance!” as he reached out to grab Lance’s hand._ _

__Thankfully, Lance hung onto the edge of the window as he fell, and Keith immediately dragged him up and pulled him into his room. Once he came through, they both collapsed onto the floor, panting from the fright, hearts beating like a snare drum._ _

__“That was terrifying!” Keith screamed. “You could’ve gotten hurt!”_ _

__“Well, it’s not like I was trying to get hurt.” Lance shrugged sheepishly. “We need to replace that plank, huh.”_ _

__“Okay, we can do that later.” Keith said. “But right now, we’re not going anywhere, let’s just stay in my house for the rest of the day and--”_ _

__“Aw, Keith!” Lance pouted. “Going to the beach never hurt anyone!”_ _

__“Last time we went to the beach, I got sunburnt, and you choked on seawater.” Keith stated flatly. “Excuse me for wanting something more relaxing after the scare we just had!”_ _

__“But then the beach would be a perfect place to relax!” Lance pouted further, eyes stretched wide at Keith._ _

__Keith gritted his teeth as he looked at Lance’s wide, guileless blue eyes that pleaded for him to give in. He could already feel his resolve melting under that gaze, and once again, cursed the fact that he was so weak to those pleading eyes._ _

__“Fine.” Keith sighed. “But no going anywhere past ankle deep!”_ _

__Keith thought his frustration was worth it to hear Lance’s excited squeal._ _

__\--------------  
The beach was surprisingly empty today. But then again, they were here very early, and most people would visit later in the afternoon. _ _

__The beach was filled with white sand, spotted occasionally with the windblown grass. The pristine sand then met the sea, small waves lapping lazily at the beach. The wind today was a small breeze, that ruffled Keith’s hair lightly, and felt like a small kiss on his skin. The sky was cloudless, blue, and beautiful, which reflected in the clear, calm waters._ _

__“Hey, Keith.” Keith heard Lance say, as he was turning around, only to get a handful of grass thrown at his face._ _

__“Wha--Lance!” Keith protested, as Lanced laughed._ _

__“Catch me if you can!” Lance shouted as he started running from Keith. Keith grinned; alright, so it’s that type of game they’re playing today._ _

__Lance was fast, but Keith was much faster. They were no longer small children, but children who came to the first blossoming of maturity. Lance was still lanky and thin, but this was balanced by his height and a grace to his long limbs. Keith, on the other hand, bulked up a little, and was a bit taller than Lance. Keith’s legs sped up as he chased after Lance, who was practically prancing with his longer legs and daring Keith to catch up._ _

__“Gotcha!” Keith shouted as he tackled Lance, sending both of them crashing into the sand. They fell, laughing, as they went deeper into the sand. They started wrestling each other, rolling around, and still laughing at their little game._ _

__But suddenly, Keith felt a sharp pain in his eye. “Ow!” He exclaimed._ _

__“Keith!” Lance, sobering up immediately, brought himself closer to Keith. “Are you okay?”_ _

__“I think I got some sand in my eye.” Keith replied. “It’s not that bad.”_ _

__“Hang on, let me take a look.” Lance’s fingers gently prodded at his closed eye, and he blew a puff of air gently into it. “Doesn’t look like there’s anything in it.”_ _

__“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Keith realized. “It’s probably out.”_ _

__“Oh! Good!” Lance sighed in relief. “I was worried I hurt you!”_ _

__“You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.” Keith drawled, and Lance gave an exaggerated expression of being offended._ _

__“There are some seashells, do you want to go take a look?” Lance asked._ _

__“Yeah, sure,” Keith said, still rubbing his eye. “You go ahead, I just want to see if there’s still something in my eye.”_ _

__“Okay! Join me soon!” Lance said as he sped down towards the water._ _

__Keith felt strange, and for some reason, Lance’s back towards him looked so small and frail. So weak. He then shook his head and blinked hard, looking again at Lance’s figure as his friend scanned the sand for shells. A shiver ran down his spine, seeing that nothing changed._ _

__Why did he think Lance looked weak?_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Snow Queen, the childhood friends are Kay and Gerda. In this case, Lance fills the role of Gerda and Keith fills the role of Kai. If this makes no sense to you, there's not a problem! No prior knowledge of The Snow Queen is needed to enjoy this!
> 
> This was long because I wanted to show everyone the process of Keith and Lance growing up together. The two holidays were Christmas and the Lunar New Year, but I didn't go into that much detail to them just because this chapter was long enough. And while I celebrate the Lunar New Year, I do not know too much about Christmas. So that was a bit glossed over whoops.
> 
> As mentioned in the tags, Keith is meant to be autistic in this. I did a lot of reading and research into how the world looks from someone with autism, and tried to portray it as well as I could and not trivialize it. But I am a person without autism, thus in a place of privilege, so please, do tell me if I did something wrong!
> 
> The song that Keith's grandma sings is also going to be important, like how the repeated the Lord's Prayer in the original story. However, I wanted to go with a less religious and more of a friendly thing for everyone, I changed it to the song above. The lyrics are based on the song cycle "An die ferne Geliebte" by Beethoven. I did change the meaning of the lyrics a bit so that I could get my twist on the words as well. I did base this off two translations of the original lyrics as well as my small knowledge of German to aid in the translation process. It's a pretty song! I recommend it.
> 
> I stole the title from a line in Serah's Theme~Memory from the Final Fantasy XIII-2 OST because it was a good fit and I was listening to that as I wrote it.


End file.
